Emotional Hangover and Other Notes
1. I feel hungover, not the alcohol kind, the emotional kind I get after crying. Yesterday Ernie and I had a meeting with the boys' principal and two teachers and I found it beyond upsetting and frankly, rather shocking. That being said, I love the school principal and have great faith in her so things will work out. I cry when I get angry and then I cry when I get frustrated and then of course I cry when I see one of my boys upset because they are being treated with contempt and hostility. And then of course I cry when the meeting is all over and I'm sitting in the car. I wish there were some kind of vaccine for crying in meetings or other inappropriate settings. The upside is that I think the boys know we are fully behind them, that we'll call them on what we think are their faults in a situation but that doesn't mean we won't stand up for them. I think they felt supported by us and by the principal and by one of the teachers. I guess 4 out of 5 isn't bad. I wish I could write more here but will restrain myself. In person though, I will be happy to bend your ear.
2. I've been using this goblet of late. I looked at it sitting on the window sill the other day and though that the pattern looked kind of 1960ish. It made me smile because the goblet is actually from the 1860s, not the 1960s, and I liked the way those parallels happened...
3. This is how I can tell that Owen did his trumpet and bass practice.
4. This song is stuck in my head. I'm so excited about having RB Morris playing at our house this winter on February 1, 2013. I was poking around looking for a video of this song and on one of the other versions, someone had left a comment saying, "RB has such a fatalism in his voice that everything he does cuts deep into your brain. This guy is the real deal." Perfect.
5. Last night Owen sat there in the living room, with Ernie's bass on his lap, listening to Fly Me To the Moon with me. He said, "You know when I was real frustrated and wanted to quit jazz band? If I had I wouldn't have found out about Frank Sinatra." And thus the Great Jazz Band Revolt of 2013 ended. And I gotta say, watching Owen sit and listen to Sinatra, bobbing his head just a bit, gave me more pleasure than I can possibly articulate.
6. We made a pretty good Brussels sprout dish the other night. Dijon Braised Brussels Sprouts from Smitten Kitchen. Her recipes are pretty dependable and I really liked it although I think I cooked them a hair too long. It was surprisingly light despite the fact that it had a bit of cream. I'm still not sure it will grace the Thanksgiving table but I'll make it again no question.
7. Part of my emotional hangover is not just my meeting yesterday, but still seeing the news of the destruction of Gifford by the tornado and most of all, the incredibly intense sorrow I have as I see a beloved friend in dire straits from that horrific thing...fucking cancer. For those of you in town, or who have spent time here, many of you probably know Michael Pollock. Michael was one of the owners and founders of Record Service, one of the great independent music stores that started in the 60's. Michael was my 'work spouse' at Record Service for many years. We figured our marriage was pretty good although we never agreed on music. Ha! Others know him from his time on Urbana City Council or from his time spent teaching history at Urbana High School. He is an amazing man and someone I love dearly. His wife Renee is one of my closest friends. I don't see her often but she's always there for me. There is an open group on facebook. If you are a friend or have a memory of him, please contribute. It is very moving to read.
8. And now damn it, I want to hear That's How Every Empire Fall Again. This time by Marianne Faithfull.